Fulbright New Zealand and Creative New Zealand invite applications for the 2013 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writers Residency, which offers a New Zealand writer of Pacific heritage the opportunity to work for three months on a creative …Call for applications – Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency

Fulbright New Zealand and Creative New Zealand invite applications for the 2013 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency, which offers a New Zealand writer of Pacific heritage the opportunity to work for three months on a creative writing project exploring Pacific identity, culture or history at the University of Hawai‘i. The project may be in any genre, but priority is given to works that focus on developing New Zealand literature in the genres of fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction (including biography, history, arts-related and cultural topics) and playwriting.

The residency is valued at NZ$30,000 and includes return airfares to Hawai‘i, accommodation costs and a monthly stipend. Previous recipients have included authors Sarona Aiono-Iosefa and Marisa Maepu, poets Tusiata Avia and Daren Kamali, playwrights Victor Rodger and Makerita Urale, and filmmakers Sima Urale and Toa Fraser. Hawai‘i has been identified as a strategic location for artists and is considered the hub of Pacific writing with numerous universities, library resources, networks, writers’ forums and publishers. It is also an important link to the mainland US and has a strong indigenous culture.

Last year’s writer-in-residence, Daren Kamali, says that the residency offered more than he expected. “I was introduced to the right people and given the appropriate space, time and resources to create material for my manuscript, performances and presentations of my work. The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa was an ideal place for thinking, writing and accessing Pacific material, especially from the Hamilton Library which had a wealth of Pacific books and journals relevant to my research.” Daren was able to network with writers, poets and musicians from across the Pacific, had numerous opportunities to present and perform on- and off-campus, made significant progress on writing his second book of poetry, Squid Out of Water, and secured a Hawaiian publisher for the book when it is completed.

This year’s Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency is available in either the Fall semester (August to November) or Spring semester (February to May) of the 2013-2014 US academic year. The deadline for applications is 5:00pm, Friday 1 March.